A team of dedicated astronomers have stumbled upon an “ancient relic” galaxy which has remained unchanged for over 10 billion years “in our backyard”.
The galaxy, NGC 1277, came into life several billions years ago “churning out stars” 1,000 times faster than our own Milky Way.
But at some point in it lifecycle the galaxy went silent and remained unnoticed to the watchful gaze of astronomers on Earth.
Until now.
The Hubble Space Telescope, which launched into low Earth orbit in 1990, spots distant galaxies as “red and dead” spots against the vast expanse of deep space.
However prior to the discovery of NGC 1277, scientists have not been able to spot one so close to our own.
A Hubble Space Telescope statement said the discovery now offers scientists a chance to “see one up close and personal.”
Ignacio Trujillo, of the Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias at the University of La Laguna, Spain, said: “We can explore such original galaxies in full detail and probe the conditions of the early universe.”
But if NGC 1277 managed to remain relatively unchanged for 10 billion years, how old is the universe itself?
Latest research suggests the universe is only around 13.8 billion years old, give or take about 60 million years.
Scientists have been able to determine the astounding number by studying the oldest observable objects in space and calculating the rate at which space is expanding.
A universal truth about the universe is that nothing contained within it can be older than it.
The oldest known object in the universe GRB 090423, a gamma ray burst detected in 2009.
At the time of detection the burst was recognised as the oldest object in the universe because it took approximately 13 billion years for the bust to reach Earth.
The other way in which scientists have estimated the universe’s age is by calculating the rate at which it expands.
Astrophysicists recognise the Big Bang as the de facto starting point of existence as we know it, and as a result, space is continuously spreading out.
By measuring the thermal radiation traces left behind in the Big Bang, scientists have been able to determine the expansion rate of the universe. The leftover radiation is known as cosmic background radiation.
But the age of the universe is not quite set in stone, and the advancement of the sciences can uncover more secrets of space.
In 2013, scientists were forced to revise the age of the universe by 100 million years after Europe’s Planck spacecraft crafted a detailed map of the oldest lights in the universe.
The map suggested the universe expands a lot slower than initially assumed and also showed there was less dark energy and more matter throughout space than initially assumed.
Joan Centrella, Planck program scientist at NASA, said at the time: “Astronomers worldwide have been on the edge of their seats waiting for this map.
“These measurements are profoundly important to many areas of science, as well as future space missions.
“We are so pleased to have worked with the European Space Agency on such a historic endeavour.”